TikTok has become another battleground showcasing China-US tensions, with President Joe Biden's administration accusing the app of allowing Beijing to collect data and spy on users -- claims denied by China and TikTok's owner ByteDance.
The United States passed a law last year forcing ByteDance to either sell the platform or shut it down by January 19.
With that deadline looming, Xiaohongshu -- a lifestyle-focussed Instagram-meets-Pinterest alternative -- surged to the top of the Apple App Store downloads on Monday.
The hashtag "tiktokrefugee" had more than 100 million views by Tuesday evening.
"They are trying to ban TikTok because they said China is stealing information. They don't ban any American company from stealing our information," user penguinpepperpia, who has more than 264,000 TikTok followers, told AFP.
The content creator downloaded Xiaohongshu rather than return to US platforms such as Meta's Instagram and Facebook, which they characterised as apps for "older people" that also "steal your personal information and sell it to other companies".
"That is why many Americans don't care anymore and we would rather let China have our information," said the user.
Other "refugees" shared similar sentiments.
New Xiaohongshu user Adham said in a video posted on Monday: "I know our government is a little bit racist, but Chinese people, I love you guys. I don't care if you take my data. Take it."
- 'Deliciously ironical' -
The phenomenon showed how "foolish" the TikTok ban was, Milton Mueller, a professor at the Georgia Tech School of Public Policy who filed a brief in opposition of the ban to the US Supreme Court, told AFP.
"It is deliciously ironical that the threat of a ban is backfiring so quickly, even before it is put into place," he said.
"It does seem as if the TikTok ban is pushing users towards other apps that have a much less clear division between the Chinese Communist Party and the app itself," Duke University's Robyn Caplan said.
Neither Xiaohongshu or ByteDance commented on the situation when asked.
What the phenomenon showed was that the Biden administration's strategy towards Chinese technology of "small yard, high fence" was not effective, said the London School of Economic's Meng Bingchun.
"The yard keeps getting bigger, and the fence is leaky," Meng said.
"Worse still, in this case, those living within the fence can be migratory in the digital space."
- Short-term reaction? -
Until Monday, Xiaohongshu -- or RedNote in English -- was popular primarily among Chinese-speaking users.
It boasted 300 million monthly active users at the end of 2023.
Unlike TikTok's sister app Douyin or the micro-blogging site Weibo, Xiaohongshu skews heavily towards lifestyle content.
It is seen as facing relatively less censorship than other platforms: users can be found posting LGBTQ content and discussing the merits of women remaining single, topics often considered sensitive in China.
For "native" Xiaohongshu users on Monday, the influx of Americans was a head-scratcher but also provided an unexpected opportunity for cultural exchange.
Some even asked for help with English homework.
In public group chats on the platform, new users asked for translations of slang terms, as well as keywords to search for content they wanted.
"It's funny and ironic that the Americans and the Chinese are meeting online under the circumstance that the US government is banning TikTok... similar to what the Chinese government has been doing for ages to American apps," 26-year-old Amanda Zhang told AFP.
The part-time pet content creator, who studies in the United States, said she was worried the US government might move to ban Xiaohongshu too if it gained enough traction.
It remains unclear what the long-term implications of the shift will be.
Xiaohongshu's main challenge to retaining these new users is translation, Caplan said.
LSE's Meng added: "My hunch is that what we are witnessing now is more of a short-term reaction than a long-term trend.
"The question now is whether there will be a critical mass of these refugees to achieve the desired network effect for the platform, and whether Xiaohongshu will respond quickly enough to harness the new users."
Red hot: key facts about Xiaohongshu, the Chinese app taking the US by storm
Beijing (AFP) Jan 15, 2025 -
In the days leading up to a proposed US government ban on the social media platform TikTok, American users have turned to another Chinese-owned app, Xiaohongshu.
The United States passed a law last year forcing the popular video platform's owner ByteDance to either sell it or shut it down by January 19.
With that deadline looming, Xiaohongshu -- a lifestyle-focussed Instagram-meets-Pinterest alternative -- has been propelled to the top of the US Apple App Store free downloads chart.
The hashtag "tiktokrefugee" had more than 290 million views as of noon on Wednesday.
Here are some key facts about Xiaohongshu:
- Origin -
Xiaohongshu -- or RedNote in English -- was launched in Shanghai in 2013 by Charlwin Mao and Miranda Qu.
Xiaohongshu translates literally to Little Red Book, but is not a reference to Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong's book of quotations.
In an interview with research agency Shensixing, Xiaohongshu founder Mao said that he viewed his time at Bain & Company and Stanford Business School as "two major milestones" in his life.
"Their primary colour theme is red, so we decided to call it 'Little Red Book'," he said, according to a transcript of the interview.
Until Monday, Xiaohongshu was popular primarily among Chinese-speaking users -- the majority of whom are young women in urban areas, according to data analysis platform Qiangua.
In contrast, other Chinese online platforms like Weibo cater to a broader audience.
Besides mainland China, Xiaohongshu has gained traction among other Chinese diasporas in Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan.
It boasted 300 million monthly active users at the end of 2023.
- Content -
Unlike TikTok's sister app Douyin or the micro-blogging site Weibo, Xiaohongshu leans heavily towards apolitical content such as lifestyle, travel, beauty and food topics.
Xiaohongshu's "Explore" page is similar to TikTok's "For You" page -- both curated by an algorithm that suggests content based on users' interests and interactions on the platforms.
It is also an online marketplace similar to TikTok Shop, where users can directly buy items including clothing, make-up, and accessories.
It is seen as relatively less censored than other platforms: users can be found posting LGBTQ content and discussing the merits of women remaining single, topics often considered sensitive in China.
Xiaohongshu has also popularised "da ka", or "check-in" tourism, where travellers plan itineraries around scenic or trending spots specifically to take photos for social media.
And similar to Instagram and TikTok, the platform has also become a hub for influencers endorsing sponsored products.
- Mostly Chinese -
Xiaohongshu's main challenge to retaining these new US users is the language barrier, experts have told AFP.
The app is mostly in Chinese and has no auto-translation tools.
The platform also focuses overwhelmingly on content tailored to China, while most products appear to only ship within the country.
In public group chats on the platform, new US users have asked for translations of slang terms, as well as keywords to search for content they wanted.
Experts say the influx of American users on the app may be more of a short-term reaction than a long-term trend.
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